Archaeologists excavating the City of David in Jerusalem have discovered evidence that a passage of the Bible is historically accurate.
Researchers at the site in the Jerusalem Walls National Park found many burnt artifacts dating from 2,600 years ago, confirming a reference in the Bible that describes the burning of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Jerusalem is thought to have fallen around 587 BCE.
Here are the verses,
2 Kings 21:12
therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I am bringing such calamity on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle.
Jeremiah 44:11
"Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I am going to set My face against you for woe, even to cut off all Judah.
2 Samuel 24:16
When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, "It is enough! Now relax your hand!" And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
1 Chronicles 21:15
And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw and was sorry over the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, "It is enough; now relax your hand." And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
The findings, including burnt pottery, wood, grape seeds, and bones all covered in layers of ash, provide further evidence that the Babylonians "burned all the houses of Jerusalem", as described in the Book of Jeremiah.
The archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority discovered the artifacts beneath layers of rock in the eastern part of the City of David. Amongst them were also charcoal and dozens of jars used to store grain and fluids. Many of these items bore stamped handles and rosette seals, enabling the researchers to date the artifacts to 2,600 years ago.
"These seals are characteristic of the end of the First Temple Period," Dr Joe Uziel, who led the excavation, explains in the video above from the Israel Antiquities Authority. "[They] were used for the administrative system that developed towards the end of the Judean dynasty."
The fact that the fire damage to the artifacts can now be dated to 2,600 years ago corroborates accounts in the Bible of the Babylonians burning the city.
The dig does indeed display signs that large parts of the city was destroyed quickly by an intense blaze, the Times of Israel reports. However, it also showed signs that other areas were abandoned after the first blaze, rather than being destroyed by it, suggesting the burning wasn't as widespread as the passage from the Bible implied.
“It seems like not all of the buildings were destroyed in a single event," Dr Uziel explains. "It seems that some were destroyed and others were abandoned and left.”
However, overall the discoveries at the dig add to existing evidence, which includes the discovery of Babylonian arrowheads dating from around the same time, that the burning of Jerusalem was a historical event as well as a biblical one.
Sources: iflscience and bible.knowing-jesus
Sources: iflscience and bible.knowing-jesus
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